Volleyball & Beach Volleyball
Professional Volleyball (2016- Current)
National Cup Champion
University of South Carolina (2012 - 2016)
Masters Degree: Clinical Exercise Physiology
About Me:
I'm from Santa Clarita, California and I'm 25 years old. I started playing volleyball at the age of 11 and am still playing today, as an outside hitter/opposite.
After high school, I got a full scholarship to play volleyball at the University of South Carolina. My sophomore year we got a beach volleyball program, so I played both indoor and beach volley for SC.
My senior year I received the team MVP Award of my indoor team. In our inaugural beach volleyball season, my partner and I were the team's winningest pair.
After college, I went to England to play volleyball and earn my masters degree in Clinical Exercise Physiology. Where my team won the National Cup Championship and I also won the BUCs beach volleyball championship with my partner.
Professionally, I have played volleyball in Finland, Serbia, and currently Spain.
Some of my non-volleyball accomplishments include 2-time all SEC Community Service Award, Funniest Gamecock (as voted by my athlete peers), and a nominee of the NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship.
“I have experienced first-hand the benefits of mentorship and I want to share what I’ve learned with younger athletes to give them the most information and tools possible to succeed, in both sport and in life.”
How Injury Taught Me Patience
Volleyball has been a huge part of my life for a very long time, which has opened up so many incredible opportunities (like playing professionally overseas) but also has brought many challenges and adversities. One aspect of being an athlete, professional or not, is dealing with the reality of injury. Injuries can end seasons or even careers.
I experienced an injury my freshman year of college that almost ended my entire season. During pre-season, I tore the labrum in my right shoulder (my hitting arm), which required x-rays and MRIs to assess how bad the damage was.
Thankfully, surgery wasn't crucially necessary. I made the decision to forego surgery and take the rest of the year to heal, rehab, and strengthen my shoulder. Considering that I was in a grey area with the decision regarding surgery, my coach left the decision up to me.
It was pretty overwhelming trying to make a medical decision about my future when I really had no clue what the outcome would be. Was I making the right decision? What might happen if I rehab and it doesn’t heal properly? What if it tears again? So many questions and worries.
The cool thing through all of this stress was that I learned about patience. That season of life for me was about being patient and trusting my trainer, trusting myself, and also pushing myself to be disciplined in my recovery.
That one setback made my desire to play even stronger, and I valued the amazing gift it was to play a collegiate sport in the first place. I know others' stories don’t always end as neatly as mine, but no matter what happens with an injury, there is always a bigger story that is being written through it, and the lessons learned stay with you for life.